Quick Answer
clion-crash-reporter.exe is safe. It's JetBrains' diagnostic helper that collects a crash dump, environment data, and plugin details to aid debugging after CLion crashes.
What is clion-crash-reporter.exe?
clion-crash-reporter is JetBrains CLion's crash diagnostic tool. It runs alongside CLion to capture crash dumps, stack traces, and environment information when CLion crashes or becomes unresponsive, helping JetBrains diagnose and fix issues.
It assembles a concise dump package including OS details, IDE version, plugins, and configuration, then transfers it securely to JetBrains servers. The reporter can trigger automatically or by user action to share diagnostics.
Quick Fact: CLion's crash reporter integrates with JetBrains' diagnostic infrastructure to streamline bug reports and speed up fixes.
Types of CLion Processes Involved
- Crash Reporter Process: Runs at crash time to collect data
- Main CLion Process: CLion UI and core functionality
- Plugin Loader Process: Loads and isolates plugins
- Crash Log Aggregator: Aggregates logs for reports
- Telemetry Collector: Sends anonymized usage metrics
Is clion-crash-reporter.exe Safe?
Yes, clion-crash-reporter.exe is safe when it's the legitimate file from JetBrains downloaded from official sources (jetbrains.com or the CLion installer).
Is clion-crash-reporter.exe a Virus or Malware?
The real clion-crash-reporter.exe is NOT a virus. Malware sometimes disguises itself with similar names to trick users.
How to Tell if clion-crash-reporter.exe is Legitimate or Malware
- File Location:: Must be in
C:\Program Files\JetBrains\CLion 2025.2\bin\clion-crash-reporter.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\JetBrains\CLion 2025.2\bin\clion-crash-reporter.exe. Any other location is suspicious.
- Digital Signature:: Right-click clion-crash-reporter.exe → Properties → Digital Signatures. Should show "JetBrains s.r.o." as the signer.
- Resource Usage:: Normal usage is 0.5-3% CPU, 15-60 MB memory while active. Constant high resource use is suspicious.
- Behavior:: Should only run when a crash occurs or when you manually trigger a diagnostic report from CLion.
Red Flags: If clion-crash-reporter.exe is located in unrelated folders (Temp, AppData, or System32), runs when CLion isn't running, has no valid signature, or sends data without consent, scan your system with antivirus software immediately. Beware of similarly named files from untrusted sources.
Why Is clion-crash-reporter Running on My PC?
clion-crash-reporter runs to collect crash diagnostics when CLion crashes, or when you enable optional crash reporting preferences to monitor IDE health.
Reasons it's running:
- Active CLion Crash or Freeze: The reporter activates to capture a crash dump and related data when CLion crashes or becomes unresponsive.
- Background Diagnostic Checks: It may run in the background to prepare crash bundles if a crash is detected but not yet sent.
- Plugin or Environment Issues: If a plugin misbehaves, the reporter may collect data to assist debugging.
- Automatic Diagnostics: With automatic reporting enabled, the tool sends anonymized data to JetBrains after a crash.
- Manual Diagnostics Trigger: You can invoke sending a report from CLion via Help → diagnostics or the crash dialog.
Can I Disable or Remove clion-crash-reporter?
Yes, you can disable clion-crash-reporter. You can turn off automatic crash reporting and remove the reporter if you prefer not to share diagnostics.
How to Stop clion-crash-reporter
- Disable Automatic Reports: Open CLion → Settings/Preferences → Appearance & Behavior → System Settings → Diagnostics and toggle off automatic reports
- Close CLion: Exit CLion completely to stop any background tasks
- End Background Process: Open Task Manager, locate clion-crash-reporter.exe, and End Task
- Prevent Startup: Use Windows Task Manager → Startup tab to disable CLion startup (which may also stop the reporter from auto-running)
- Uninstall CLion: If you want to remove the reporter entirely, uninstall CLion from Settings → Apps → CLion
How to Uninstall CLion
- ✔ Windows Settings → Apps → CLion → Uninstall
- ✔ Control Panel → Programs → Uninstall a program → CLion
- ✔ Consider alternative JetBrains IDEs: Rider, IntelliJ IDEA Community, PyCharm
Common Problems: Crashes, Reports Not Sent, or High Resource Use
If clion-crash-reporter is causing issues or failing to report crashes:
Common Causes & Solutions
- No crash occurs but the reporter starts unexpectedly: Update CLion and the crash reporter, and check if an automatic reporting setting is misfiring.
- Crash reports not reaching JetBrains: Check firewall/antivirus settings to allow outbound traffic to jetbrains.com or crash-report.jetbrains.com
- High CPU or memory during a crash: Terminate the reporter after capture, review the crash dump, and disable heavy plugins.
- Stale logs or large diagnostic bundles: Clean up old crash reports from CLion settings or uninstall/reinstall to reset reporter.
- Digital signature mismatch: Verify the signer is JetBrains s.r.o. and re-download CLion from official sources.
- Crash reporter not launching after update: Restart CLion or reinstall the latest CLion toolkit to restore binary.
Quick Fixes:
1. Quick Fixes:
2. 1. Open CLion Task Manager (Help → Diagnostics) to identify crash state
3. Update CLion to the latest version
4. Check Settings → Diagnostics and disable automatic reporting if needed
5. Ensure outbound network access is permitted by firewall
6. Clear cache and restart CLion
Frequently Asked Questions
What is clion-crash-reporter?
The CLion crash reporter collects crash dumps, logs, and environment data to help JetBrains diagnose and fix issues in CLion. It can be enabled or disabled in settings.
Is clion-crash-reporter safe to have on my PC?
Yes, when obtained from JetBrains, it is a safe diagnostic tool designed to improve product stability.
Why is clion-crash-reporter running after a crash?
It runs to capture and assemble diagnostic data so JetBrains can analyze the crash, unless you disable automatic reporting.
How can I disable the crash reporter?
In CLion, go to Settings/Preferences → Appearance & Behavior → System Settings → Diagnostics and turn off automatic reports; you can also uninstall CLion to remove it.
Where are crash reports stored on my PC?
Crash reports are stored in your user profile under AppData\Roaming\JetBrains\CLion\diagnostics or a similar JetBrains path depending on version.
How do I share a crash report with JetBrains?
After a crash, click the dialog’s Send button or use Help → Diagnostics → Send Diagnostic Data to transmit the report securely.